Replacing the Rogue
by Sweet Sassy Sarah
Summary: We always knew replacing George Cooper would be difficult. One person managed. Collaboration between Sweet Sassy Sarah and Kate of Carlay. Rated for violence.


**A/N: Hi guys! Here's my new oneshot. This is actually a collaboration with **Kate of Carlay**, so yay! I'm excited for this! I hope everyone likes it!**

**Disclaimer: Kate and I aren't TP, though we fantasize about being her sometimes. :D**

* * *

Replacing the Rogue

"Well, lads, it's that time," George Cooper, King of the Rogue said, standing. He set down his tankard in the Dancing Dove Inn for the last time. "All of my things have been moved out of this place."

"Ye're to be livin' with Alanna, then?" one of the men at the table asked.

"If she'll have me," George replied, grinning. He laughed at the ribald comments that came his way about Alanna, his love, and then started to leave the inn where he'd ruled as King.

Men began to make jokes and eye the now empty table where the King of the Rogue sat, and one man, tall with dark hair and eyes, plopped himself down. "Well, I'm the obvious choice," he said arrogantly, and waved his hand to the innkeeper, a man named Jess. "Ale, Jess."

"Yes, sire," Jess said.

Other men gave each other glances with raised eyebrows, and the girl at the table farthest away from the Rogue's table watched everyone. "I will sit there, one day," Raeka promised herself.

She was a small girl, with eyes as black as night. Her brown hair was pulled into a horsetail, and her body was encased in a dress that looked like it would suit a tavern wench. She had a sword strapped to her waist, even though she had to be careful of Provost's Guards, who would arrest her for carrying a weapon.

She watched while the new Rogue's table filled up with his friends, and saw that a few men to his side were eyeing him like they were the hunters and he their prey. Raeka saw their hands twitch toward their daggers, and knew that there would be a new Rogue soon.

xXx

Her prediction came true four days later. A man close to the Rogue came up behind him and sliced his throat with his dagger.

The court gasped as blood fell from the King's throat, and the one who'd killed him pushed him out of the thronelike chair and sat down himself. Raeka saw the whole thing, and stared silently as the ranks around the table shifted to those loyal to the new King.

She went outside to take a rest from the alcohol perfumed air inside the Dove, and heard a man boasting to his friends that he'd be the one to sit on the throne and stay on the throne.

"I doubt that, Jeremy," she said, strolling up. She'd known Jeremy for years, and knew he'd turn out like the other men who would be king.

"You think you could do better?" Jeremy asked. He looked at his friends and they laughed.

"I know I could," she said. "You'd be killed after a day or two."

"And you wouldn't? You're just a girl, Raeka." Fingering the hilt of her sword, Raeka was silent, and just stared at Jeremy. "Anyway, you wouldn't have the guts to use that pretty sword of yours."

"Oh no?" Raeka swiftly pulled her sword from its sheath and speared it through Jeremy's stomach. She used all of her strength to twist the sword as Jeremy groaned in agony. "This isn't just for decoration."

As Jeremy went down, Raeka lifted a foot and braced it on his chest to pull her sword out. Jeremy's friends stared at her in shock, but none of them made a move toward her.

Raeka turned slightly, hearing the door into the Dove creak as it opened, and saw a man she knew slightly. His name was Chase, and he had blond hair and bright blue eyes. He was always joking with the others, and Raeka could tell that he wasn't much entertained by the fight for the throne. He was skilled with daggers, more than most of the men Raeka knew. She'd seen him flip daggers at a target and hit it every time, even if he was drunk.

She picked up the edge of her skirt and used it to wipe the blood off her sword. She cleaned and sheathed it, all the while looking at Chase. Her black eyes met his blue ones and they watched each other.

When she was done, she walked past him, keeping her eyes on him the whole time. She entered the Dove, and closed the door behind herself.

"Did ye see that?" one of Jeremy's friends asked, looking at his dead friend's body.

"Aye, I saw it. Brilliant."

Chase grinned slightly. It had been brilliant, the way the girl had killed him. No mercy. She'd make a good queen.

xXx

A few days later, amidst much fighting, Chase watched as a man who wanted the throne named Gunnar spoke quietly to Raeka. Raeka had her hand on her sword hilt as she nodded, and followed Gunnar outside. Chase edged out of his place at the bar and walked as silently as he knew how out the door. Something didn't seem right.

His eyebrows shot up as he saw Gunnar lead Raeka through to an alleyway. He hung back, though, knowing she could handle herself in a fight. He waited for a minute, but didn't hear the clash of the swords.

He started toward the alley, but before he got there, two men came out of the Dove and headed that way, joking to each other.

"That bitch is going to get it," one said.

"She won't even see it coming," the other said. Chase thought that if his hands weren't already filled with daggers, he'd be rubbing them together.

"Thinking she'd make it to the throne. We'll show her."

Chase crept up behind the men. He didn't want to let them know he was there, just slipped up behind them just as the first man was about to charge at Raeka, and wrapped his arms around the men's shoulders in an almost brotherly fashion.

"Hullo, boys," he said with a grin and he kept his eyes on the fighting young woman and her opponent. Both men froze when they felt the cold metal of blades resting along their throats. "I thought I would join ye in watchin' this little tumble. Wouldn' wan' no rushers roamin' in here to make a mess of things, would we?"

Chase let out an 'oomph' as on of the men slammed his elbow into Chase's stomach. Chase took the hit but had already let his blade slice the man's flesh, just not deeply enough to kill him yet. His other captive took the opportunity to twist away from the blade and grab Chase's blond hair before pulling Chase's head down to slam his knee into the man's face.

Chase grunted as he felt the bone crack and blood started to pour off his face. Rushing forward, he shoved the man who had grabbed his hair and threw him into the wall with his shoulder pressed into the other man's chest. He saw the other man that he had left a bright red strip across his neck come for him from behind, and kicked back. The other man fell to the ground, doubled over.

Chase wiped the blood from his face with one arm and held his one captive against the wall with a dagger point piercing his throat as he held another blade out towards the man on the ground. "Now look what you did. How will I ever get these stains out of my shirt?"

"Why y' rotten piece o'--" the man on the ground began to say as he pulled a knife out of his belt, but the blade from Chase's hand flew with the twitch of his wrist and buried itself deep in the other man's throat.

Chase's cool blue eyes turned back to the man against the walls. "Now then, why don't we wait out the rest of this scuffle." He spit blood from his mouth before wrapping his arm around the man's neck, and tightening his grip on him. "We'll wait nice and friendly like."

Raeka was aware of the men behind her and she had a feeling that one of them was about to attack her and she flicked her eyes back to check on them as she dodged the long daggers that Gunnar held in his hands. She saw that the blond man, Chase, had taken care of the two others. She grabbed Gunnar's arm and while paying attention to both his blades, she shoved him forward until he split his eyebrow open on the stone wall.

She smirked at the thought of him being partially blind from the blood falling into his eye as she took a step back to bring her sword up, but at the same time he swung his blades around and slid past her defense to throw a fist into her face. Raeka tasted blood pooling in her mouth as she jammed her knee up between his legs at the same time as she shoved her doubled over fist into his throat, trying to crush his wind pipe.

Without a second thought she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled down as he tried to get a dagger into her side. She twisted away from his blades and stomped on his instep while slicing the muscles in one of his arms clear through with her sword.

Gunnar gasped and fell to a knee as his arm hung helplessly at his side. "No," he whispered as he watched her black eyes staring at him. "Please, no."

Raeka leaned back and aimed a kick right at his head, making him sprawl backwards onto the ground. She stomped down on his working hand that held the dagger; cracking let them both know that fingers were broken. Gunnar was all but whimpering now as she rested her foot against his throat.

"Mercy, please," Gunnar croaked.

Raeka gave him the most mercy she could ever think about giving; a quick death. Her steel blade sliced through his neck in one swift motion before she turned around.

Chase stood there while holding his captive. She let her dark eyes take in the scene behind her while she leveled the sword at Chase and his captive's neck. "What's this?"

"Just keeping things between the potential Rogues," Chase told her with a grin and his blue eyes looked into her black ones.

Raeka's face remained emotionless. She looked at Chase's captive before plunging her sword into the man's chest. The man's eyes rolled back as he slowly fell to the ground. Raeka turned and looked at Chase. "What of you?"

Chase grinned and bowed his head. "I'm behind ye all the way." Then Chase cocked an eyebrow. "Your soon-to-be majesty."

Raeka didn't say a word to him but wiped the blood off her sword on her latest victim's shirt before sliding it back into her sheath and walking back towards the inn. She turned her black eyes back on Chase. "Are you coming?" she demanded. Chase nodded and followed quickly.

xXx

"Please, please no." Raeka had her sword leveled at yet another contender's neck. "I yield. Please, don't kill me."

"Why are you so special?" Raeka asked, slicing through his throat. She stepped back and used the edge of Chase's shirt to clean her blade. He watched with a smile on her face.

"Well, that's three ye've killed for the throne, now," he said idly.

"What of it?" Raeka asked, sheathing the sword.

Chase shook his head. "Nothing, nothing at all. Just…how many more are ye plannin' on killin'?"

"Well, that's my business, now, isn't it?" Raeka replied, smiling wryly.

"Aye, it is."

xXx

In the next four days, Raeka killed two more opponents, stabbing them both through the heart with her sword. She was getting closer to the throne, and she and Chase knew it. It was even getting to the point where the others in the Dove were staying away from her.

Men who used to eye her suddenly found their tankards much more interesting, and women who used to be friends with her snubbed her.

Raeka just rolled her eyes when yet another woman turned away from her with her nose in the air. She sat alone with a tankard of ale, and watched as Chase threw daggers for coin. His aim was flawless, his face serious.

After a particularly difficult throw, as he was drinking from a tankard of ale at the time, he glanced over and saw Raeka. He grinned and left his game, taking his coin with him. "Hello, Raeka," he said, sitting down across from her.

"Chase," she replied, nodding her head.

"How goes the bid for the throne today? I've heard several talkin' about supporting ye," he said.

"And you?"

"I'm still behind ye, my lady. Ye need someone to watch yer back."

xXx

The next afternoon, Raeka stood by as the Rogue was killed. His body was hauled out of the throne, and a new man sat upon the chair, grinning smugly.

"How many more will ye let die before ye take yer place?" Chase's voice said from behind her.

"As many as possible," Raeka replied. "The more that are out of my way, the less likely that I'll be dethroned."

"It's senseless killin', and ye know it. Ye know that if they had a steady Queen, they'd not be killin' like this."

Raeka spun around and poked a finger into his chest. "I don't want to end up like the last four Rogues, all right?" she said. "And I don't need a fairy godmother, so you can keep away."

"That isn't the point, and ye know it," he replied, brushing her hand away. "Ye'll need a second. Someone to watch yer back."

Raeka eyed him warily. "And what do you get out of it?"

He didn't reply, just shrugged and waited for her to say something else. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, and started past him. He stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "Ye'll need someone to watch yer back, my lady, and I'm just the man for the job. I've been behind ye every step of the way, and I plan to be here, all right?"

Raeka shook his hand off and stalked outside.

A few hours later, she stood at the paddock area by where the horses were stabled, watching the stableboy exercise her horse.

"Raeka, I'm glad I've found ye alone," a voice said.

"Nathan," Raeka replied, not turning to see the man behind her. "What do you want?"

"I want to put a proposal to ye, that's all."

She turned and saw the man who'd sat on the throne that afternoon. "Oh? What proposal might that be, Nathan?"

"I've heard about yer bid for the throne. Ye've become fair powerful the last few weeks, Raeka, and I'd like to have you at my table. If ye support me, I'll make sure ye have everything ye'd ever want, understand?"

"I understand you'd like to buy me off," Raeka replied, and subtly fingered the hilt of her sword. "I'm not in the mood for it." In a swift move, she unsheathed her sword.

"I thought somethin' like this might happen," Nathan said, resigned, and unsheathed his own sword. "Come on, Raeka. Show me what ye've got."

Without a moment's hesitation, Raeka's sword flew forward in a silver blur to clash with Nathan's own, broader sword. Raeka swept the blade aside and brought her blade up in a high arch aiming for his neck. Nathan got his sword between hers and his neck but he didn't see her foot slide between his leg. He did feel her jerk his legs out from under him.

Nathan rolled to the ground and staggered to his knees just as a foot kicked his ribs. He gasped for air as he swung his blade at her legs. He felt the blade of his sword swing through air as she jumped over the attack.

Raeka's feet hit the ground just as a body plowed into her. Nathan flung her to the ground, hoping to gain the upper hand in the fight. Raeka's back hit the hard dirt and she flipped herself away from the harsh meta sword that buried into the ground where she had been laying. Her dark eyes looked up and she saw the hard determination in the man's eyes.

In a flash of movement her sword was moving through air at him again. The swords crashed together, sending off the occasional spark, and the speed in each of their movements changed. Nathan's blade slowed as he tried to put more force behind each blow. Raeka's own sword seemed to speed up, each time Nathan attacked, she seemed to already be there, waiting for him. Her blade brushed his aside without worry and sweat poured off of Nathan's brow, dripping around his eyes and blurring his vision. He took the risk to wipe his face with his arm without having enough time to realize Raeka's actions.

Raeka had pushed aside his defense before taking her blade in both hands and raised it above both their heads. Nathan's eyes widened in panic as he brought his broad sword up just in time. Her slim blade smashed into his and he felt the hilt of his sword vibrate in his shaking hands. With a swift strike to his side made him try to change positions again and, compared to Raeka's agility, he could have just stayed still. Her blade bit into his shoulder, cutting through muscle and cracking bone. Then, in a fast sweep she flicked the sword out of his faltering grip and he fell to his knees.

Raeka stood above her opponent, drenched in sweat. The man at her feet stared up at her. He saw her eyes in the fading light, black and full of hatred. She was breathing hard and there was blood on her face, but she was still beautiful, even in the throes of fury.

"Do you yield?" she asked, her voice soft in the silence of the darkness that surrounded them. She held her sword level with his neck, ready to pierce him if he didn't.

"I yield," he replied. "I yield, and ask for mercy. Your Majesty."

In a quick move, Raeka slashed his throat. "You won't get it," she said to his lifeless body. "Mercy makes a queen weak."

Raeka looked up and saw that the stableboy had stood there watching her the whole time. His hands were gripping the reins on her horse tightly but when the boy realized she was watching him, he bowed. "Yer Majesty," he said in a shaking voice.

She stalked into the Dancing Dove and went past all the occupants of the large common room. A hush fell over the crowd as Raeka made her way to the main table. When she dropped into the chair at the head of the table, the whispers started.

"A round for all," she said. She didn't need to raise her voice above normal because of the quiet still shrouding the large room.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the innkeeper, Jess, said, bowing.

As he went off, Chase strolled up. "Well, ye've done it, I see."

"I was pushed," Raeka replied shortly.

Chase kneeled in front of her. "Yer Majesty, I do swear fealty to ye, and do swear my life for yers."

"Sit," Raeka said, waving to the place at her right, the place where her second would sit.

Chase took his place, and leaned back in his chair, awaiting the arrival of the ale.

**A/N: Please review! I hope you all liked it! Love, Sarah and Kate! PS: Keep on the lookout for the rest of Raeka's story, coming soon!  
**


End file.
